Defending champion Naomi Osaka has dismantled Coco Gauff in their highly-anticipated third-round showdown at the US Open before offering the tearful teenage sensation post-match consolation.
World No.1 Osaka, 21, was in command from the start in packed Arther Ashe Stadium and rolled to a 6-3 6-0 win to make a big statement and set up a last 16 date with Swiss Belinda Bencic.
The Japanese fired 24 winners while 15-year-old Gauff managed only seven and piled up 24 unforced erros.
At the end of the 65-minute match, Osaka approached an emotional Gauff at the side of the court, where the two embraced and spoke for a few minutes.
Osaka then encouraged the emotional Gauff to be part of an extraordinary double on-court interview.
“For me, I think this was the most focused I’ve been since Australia,” Osaka said in an on-court interview, with Gauff standing beside her. “So, sorry for playing you with this type of mentality.”
Gauff said Osaka “did amazing and I will learn a lot from this match. She is super sweet”.
“She told me that I did amazing and good luck and then she asked if I could do the on-court interview with her and I said no because I knew I would cry the whole time but she encouraged me to do it,” Gauff said.
The young American had burst onto the scene by reaching the Wimbledon fourth round as a qualifier in July, which prompted US Open officials to give her a wildcard.
Swiss 13th seed Belinda Bencic did not have to take to the court on Saturday after her Estonian opponent Anett Kontaveit before the match due to illness.
Earlier in the day, qualifier Taylor Townsend continued her remarkable run with a 7-5 6-2 victory over Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
The American world No.116, who stunned Wimbledon champion Simona Halep in the third round, is now one match away from a record-equalling quarter-final berth for a qualifier.
“I am here, we are going to ride this thing all the way,” she pledged in an on-court interview.
“I will take it as far as I can.”
Townsend next faces fancied Canadian 15th seed Bianca Andreescu who beat former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4.
“I played great but so did Caroline. It was super fun,” Andreescu said.
Germany’s Julia Goerges also pulled off a surprise by knocking out Dutch seventh seed Kiki Bertens 6-2 6-3 to advance to a meeting with Donna Vekic, who accounted for Yulia Putintseva 6-4 6-1.
Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens and American wildcard Kristie Ahn both won to set up a round of 16 encounter.